Stock Routes

Fortescue (9698) to Cue (10367) Stock Route
The Fortescue - Cue stock route was 370km long and the Cue route 193km. The railway reached Cue from Mullewa in April 1897. The tender was won by Baxter and Prince at a cost of £432 per mile. . The railway enabled the Pastoralist's to the east of the Murchison and Gascoyne to freight their stock to Perth.

The stock route is spilt into two sections. The Fortescue route in the south starts at Mandora on the Murchison River to the west of Peak Hill. It bisects the Degrey-Peak Hill route at Number 39 well on the Jigalong Mission Road south of Mt Newman.
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The Degrey-Mullewa   stock route was gazetted around June 1893 and is approx 1400 km long. Charles Straker arrived via the Surat on the 25.1.1882. He started out as a jackeroo at Millstream. He then became a station overseer at Croydon, Roebourne and George River stations.

Leased Tambrey Station but was forced off due to drought. In partnership with Duncan McRae bought Croydon Station in 1899. Also had interests in Coolawamyah and Hammersley Stations. He also was a JP and served on the Tableland Road Board. Charles passed away at Hammersley Station during June 1920 aged 63.

In July 1895 Mr Charles Mitchinson Straker started out from Mullewa to locate and dig the stock wells. By the beginning of August 1895 he had dug wells 1, 2 and 3. These wells were serviced by a pair of 52ft troughs. In November 1899 he had reached the Robe River Pool where Well 45 is located.

The stock route over the course of time was re surveyed in places. As a drover commented in 1928 that they always travelled the most direct route between wells. Following the twists of a river added many miles more to the trek. Learn More

Edward Timothy Hooley   was born on Oct. 3, 1812, on the high seas, his parents being at the time bound for Tasmania, where his father afterwards became overseer of a sheep station.

Mr. Hooley was a member of parties that made several exploration trips into the interior of the NW of Western Australia and it was eventually decided that the expedition should settle in the country around Nickol Bay and the Fortescue and Ashburton Rivers.

On the 16 April 1866 Edward left Perth for Champion Bay with Lockier Clere Burges (junior). They reached Champion Bay on the 3rd of May. Edward and Dr Bompass left Champion Bay on the 27th May 1866 with 1025 sheep (hooley) and 920 sheep (burges) making a total of 1945.
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